Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have highlighted that voting is a “fundamental way to impact communities” and create a “more equal world” as they issue a new statement ahead of the US election.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live in Montecito, California, celebrated National Voter Registration Day yesterday by inviting the Archewell team to participate in a letter-writing activity.
Archewell’s website described how the couple’s staff used the impactful “Vote Forward” letter-writing tool to encourage unregistered voters to cast ballots in November’s presidential election.
The statement said: ‘Voting is not just a right; it is a fundamental way to influence the destiny of our communities.
‘At the Archewell Foundation, we recognize that civic engagement, regardless of one’s political party, is at the heart of a more just and equitable world.
Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive in Bogotá on the first day of their trip to Colombia last month.
“By participating in initiatives like this, we aim to amplify the message that every voice matters.”
The couple then invited readers to “join us in this important effort” and volunteer their time to write letters to unregistered voters.
The statement concluded: “Together, let’s ensure that every eligible voter is informed and empowered to participate in shaping America’s future.”
Before the last presidential election, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex filmed a video statement from the garden of their Montecito mansion, which they had just moved into at the time.
In the video address, Prince Harry told American voters to “reject hate speech,” while Meghan called the 2020 presidential race “the best election of our lifetime.”
Although Harry and Meghan did not name their preferred candidate, many viewers thought it was “obvious” that they were supporting Joe Biden rather than Donald Trump. As a result, the Sussexes were accused of “violating” the terms of their “Megxit” deal.
Following the events, republicans and other critics called on the Royal Family to strip the couple of their titles, branding the duke and duchess’s interference “inappropriate”.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said at the time: “We will not be commenting. The Duke is not a working member of the Royal Family and any comments he makes are made in his personal capacity.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured in July) celebrated National Voter Registration Day yesterday by getting the Archewell team involved in a letter-writing activity.
Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex weighed in on US politics in 2020 when they told American voters to “reject hate speech”.
Following the video statement, Piers Morgan said: “Prince Harry sticking his nose into the US election and effectively telling Americans to vote against President Trump is completely unacceptable behaviour for a member of the Royal Family.”
Former Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker, author of the book And What Do You Do? What The Royal Family Don’t Want You To Know, said Harry should not speak about US politics while he remains a “representative” of the UK.
“I think it’s appropriate for any private citizen to comment on the US election. The problem is that Harry has retained his HRH status and he is not a private citizen but a representative of this country,” Baker told MailOnline.
‘He has to stop trying to have a foot in both camps: the royal one when it suits him and the private one when it doesn’t.
‘Or, to turn the old phrase around: I agree with what you say, but I disagree with your right to say it.’
Questions arise over the Duke and Duchess’ political plans – above Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive at the United Nations headquarters in New York in July 2022
In 2020, Meghan Markle joined Gloria Steinem for a ‘backyard chat’ in which she indicated who she was supporting in the election.
A few years ago, a friend of the duchess told Vanity Fair that one of the reasons Meghan did not renounce her US citizenship when she married into the Royal Family was so she could keep the option of entering politics open.
She has already gotten involved in political issues. The Duchess openly criticised the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade and threatened to go to Washington DC to take part in protests.
She also lobbied members of Congress to pass mandatory paid parental leave, writing to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Shumer, as well as cold-calling senators to ask them to support the measure.
She signed her letters to lawmakers with her royal title: “Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex.”
In August 2020, Meghan sat down with activist Gloria Steinem to discuss women’s rights, representation and the importance of voting, and has since been photographed with the political activist several times.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are back in the US politics scene: the couple at the Invictus Games in Germany in September
In April, the couple forayed back into American politics when they joined a campaign to warn American voters against misinformation in the upcoming presidential election.
His Archewell Foundation and other Hollywood political players have backed an initiative to prepare American voters for a potential flood of deepfake information obtained through artificial intelligence. Axios reported.
This year’s campaign is being coordinated by Miles Taylor, policy director for The Future US. Taylor served as chief of staff for the Department of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump and was the anonymous author of a New York Times op-ed exposing the dangers of a Trump presidency.
Now it is sounding the alarm about the use of fake videos and images.
“This is a disaster waiting to happen: No one is vaccinating the population,” he told Axios.
With the advent of cheap generative artificial intelligence and a plethora of social media platforms available, experts warn that manipulated images, edited videos and misleading robocalls could dominate politics this year.
The problem is compounded by a lack of regulation and coordination between relevant federal agencies and social media companies.
“The government isn’t talking to social media companies. Many of them don’t want anything to do with the government, which means new AI threats could go undetected,” Taylor said.
Google, Meta and OpenAI have pledged to combat misleading AI election content, while Jesse Dylan, Bob Dylan’s son, has produced two ads to raise awareness of the issue. The ads will air this spring in the battleground states.